The kitchen "makeover"

Hey, all! It's been forever since I posted but I want you all to know that I have been doing some fun stuff! This was my big project of Summer 2016. I actually did it all and finished the day before my husband fell from his bike and broke his left wrist and ribs... which slowed me down significantly! I had some big plans for last summer. oops!

I just really needed to update my kitchen and dining area. The flat paint was driving me insane! You can't scrub it! I have 2 kids!



Ignore the mess. Let's be honest. I didn't clean before I started. Shhh!!!

LOOK at my black frames! They pop!!! I picked blue because most of my pictures have touches of blue in them! I just love it all!
and Ha! I can do an update now because it's technically months later: it's been holding up well, I've had to clean a few spots... my kids touch everything, but I haven't scrubbed off paint!

The paint color is SW Drizzle (diluted). Half of the gallon mixed with 2 gallons of regular white.

Sister's Bathroom Renovation

This bathroom has needed some love for a very very long time. It was this way when I was living at home, all growing up. Untouched for 35 years. EEK!

And it's been a girls bathroom for 95% of its life. Hence the pink. that needed to go.

I didn't get a good picture but you pretty much have to climb around the toilet to get into the shower.  Fun stuff.
My mom told me this when we were getting ready to start demo... as if she needed to tell me, how many years had I done the same thing?? and told her?? Oh, well.

The vanity was still holding together but the countertop was badly stained and the light was sooo dim, and the mirror was marred on the edges.

Yanking down the wall. and we found some mold.
And my family did some demo without me and found dead mice. I was so thankful I was not there that day. Ew. Ew. Ew. Barf.

I was never so happy to see a hole. We were worried about where the new shower drain would line up and we ended up having to make the hole bigger to get it in but it was not as nightmare-ish as we thought.

Purple walls. My hubby tried to tell me I was supposed to do a different drywall/sheetrock for the ceiling but this mold and mildew resistant stuff said walls/ceiling so we went for it!

So "in between stuff" happened at this point. I have a love/hate relationship with mudding and sanding.
And texturing. Maybe it's just a hate relationship, because I despise it. I like the end result though...
hum....

My little sister and brother wanted to help... so much... so they got to paint! the girls picked out sweet pea, which grew on me a little. I would have picked something with a touch more blue, but it looked really good anyway!

The edge of the mirror was so messed up... so I used the leftover mosaic tiles and glued up the edge. It's so cool, I want to do this to my mirror!

We puzzle pieced the floor all different ways until we found a way that would work with the least amount of cutting. we're funny like that.






and the troublesome shower. Mike the plumber gave us a hard time about picking one he had never installed before but the benefit of a corner shower was no more climbing over the toilet to get in!








I don't know about you, but I really want to move in. Or at least take a shower.

I love the light. It has a wavy texture on it, that simulates ocean waves... it fits right in with the sea foam wall color and sand colored tiles! And the new-to-them vanity with a new laminate top looks awesome with the tiles! Could not have matched it better if I tried!

Tweaking Jif's Peanut Butter cookies

Yes, I took a stab at these too. I made some slight modifications and my husband couldn't tell the difference. My son gobbled whatever I put in front of him. Win-Win!

3/4 cup Peanut Butter*

1/2 cup Coconut oil

1 1/4 cups coconut sugar

1/2 cup of applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine peanut butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar, applesauce and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. 

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in a crisscross pattern with tines of fork.**

3. Bake one baking sheet at a time 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

*You may need to add a tablespoon or two of coconut sugar to compensate for the lack of sugar if you use all natural peanut butter.

**I froze the cookie dough mounds and later baked them at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Healthy Cookies!

I'm about to surprise your mouth. I had been making up these cookies from Picky Palate. They are the bomb. You can bake them right away or freeze the dough for later, (great for when people stop by and you need something to serve!)  so - very versatile... and now to take them up a notch. 
I have a friend who has given me a little push towards coconut sugar in place of regular sugar for baking... so I experimented on these, and I mean come on, guilt free cookies? Top notch!

• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar

• 1/4 cup applesauce

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 (+ or -) cup Gold Medal Flour’s white whole wheat flour

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips (removed for my friend but not for the rest of us)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper. Place softened coconut oil into a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, beating until well combined. Add applesauce and vanilla, beating well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring until dough forms.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet placing 1 inch apart. 
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring. Serve and enjoy. Makes 2 dozen servings

*You can also pop these bad boys in the freezer after scooping on the baking sheet until you are ready to cook. 

The master bath!

BEFORE!

I've been away from the blog world for a little while... completely on accident. With two little ones, one of which seems to be on his own schedule for eating... every five minutes it feels like... and one big renovation happening, time has been working against me...



We started this endeavor just wanting to make the shower bigger, then we realized we couldn't move the wall as easily as we thought.

Out with the "water closet"!

Then we messed up the tile taking out the wall, so that all needed to go, which meant all the way around the tub... and we had to take out the linoleum, so down went tile, anyhow it is still very much in progress but at least one of the vanities is hooked up and working.

And it doesn't look like this. at all. anymore. Success!

So how 'bout purple?

Maple-Cherry Glazed Chicken

You really can't get much easier then this. Inspired by Red Lobster's Maple Cherry Glazed Chicken, I searched and searched for a recipe but I needed something that could go in the crock pot because my husband is picky about chicken, it must be juicy, and boneless, and fall apart.

I guessed on the measurements because what I found was all over the map on that, fortunately not on ingredients.

I made my life easier by doing my own thing. I bought a jar of cherry preserves (instead of dried cherries and dicing them up); this also kept me from needing to add sugar and lemon juice to the recipe.

1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/2 a jar, or about 1/2 cup of cherry preserves
2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
3-4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast

*I dumped all of this into a gallon-size freezer bag and froze it until I wanted to cook it. You can do it either way, the only difference is cooking time.*
5 hours for thawed chicken, 6 hours for frozen.
Crock pot setting: Low heat.
I added a little bit of water (1-2 tablespoons) to the bag to get out the cherry pieces and syrup that were sticking to the inside of the bag and dumped that in too.
About 1 hour before you are ready to serve, stir 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Stir into sauce and stir occasionally for the next hour to help it thicken.

I served this on a bed of wild rice and with a side of vegetables.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

and it is gorgeous when stored in a glass jar.

I may never buy granola again, well unless I keep running out of this stuff. I made a single batch on Sunday. Wednesday, I made a double batch and was out again the following Sunday. Whoops.
This is stuff is like crack. 
So I stole borrowed the recipe from Joyfulhealthyeats when referred to her by my cousin, who insists that
everyone just triple this recipe.
You will eat it all.

I changed it slightly (adding 1 cup of Rice Crispies or (off-brand) Crispy Rice) and the instructions were switched a bit.


2 cups of old fashioned oats

1 cup of Rice Crispies
½ cup of sliced almonds
¼ cup of dried cranberries
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice seasoning
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of coconut oil
½ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup of pumpkin puree
1½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions

To get started, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl mix, old fashioned oats, rice crispies and almonds. 

In small bowl, add pumpkin puree, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk together. Add in brown sugar, pumpkin spice seasoning, ground cinnamon, and salt. (This is so it gets evenly distributed now rather then them all be at the bottom of the dry bowl. 

Pour the small bowl into the big bowl, toss to coat and make sure everything is covered. Now add in the dried cranberries. Toss again gently.

On a baking sheet, place either a silicon mat or parchment paper. Then spread the granola mixture across the entire pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning the granola every 10 minutes so it doesn't burn.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Enjoy, try not to eat it all at once.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

This recipe is stolen borrowed from Minimalist Baker. I have been trying to cut back on Gluten in my diet as more and more family members seem to be getting the lovely diagnosis of Celiac. And I have a lot to learn... After not needing to cook/bake Gluten Free for the past 8 years or so, I have a lot of catching up to do. I know enough basics to cook around it when I need to but alas I still forget things like adding xanthan gum in with the flour. I even looked at the side of the flour mix to see what I needed to add and then completely forgot. Blaming this on the pregnancy brain, because I can. 

One Bowl Gluten Free Banana Bread (VEGAN OPTIONAL)

Ingredients:

3 medium ripe bananas (~1.5 cups)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 egg (or sub 1 chia or flax egg)

3 Tbsp grape seed or coconut oil, melted (I used coconut oil)

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2-3 Tbsp honey, depending on ripeness of bananas

3.5 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup almond or dairy milk

1 1/4 cup almond meal** 

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend 

1 1/4 cup gluten free oats

(and I added mini chocolate chips, because every pregnant lady needs chocolate)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
2. Mash banana in a large bowl. Add all ingredients through almond milk and whisk vigorously to combine. Last add almond meal, gluten free flour blend and oats and stir.
3. Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. When ready, it should feel firm and be crackly and golden brown on top.
4. Let cool completely before cutting or it will be too tender to hold form.
5. Serve with butter and honey or as is. Store leftovers in a covered container for up to a few days. Slice and freeze for longer term storage.

**I didn't have this so I just used all-purpose gluten free flour for all of it- so a total of 2.5 cups, and I should have remembered to add Xanthan gum. Oops. 

Little Man #2's nursery

Until a month ago this room was a guest room, with a king size bed taking up nearly half the floor space.
6 weeks out from my due date, I was slightly panicky. I wanted it done and quick, just so that it would be done and I wouldn't have to worry.

It took over 2 weeks to sell the mattress and get it out of there but there was a sigh of relief when it did.

Now I'm a week from my due date and it is done... I mean there's always more to add, but in a general sense... It's done.  Plus according to my little man #1, it has the very important "bubbles" -aka the paper mobile over the bed and the "balloons" -aka the paper lanterns over the changing table/dresser. 

Master Mess Makeover- the Afters!

Here are the afters... where the white dresser used to be. Now vintage themed!

 This is where that white dresser and my desk used to be...

Behind the door... i moved the bookshelf here after moving both of the dressers to the same wall together. One general place for all the clothes, clean and dirty to chill! Trust me, I still come around the door trying to get to the dresser that was here.

This is the wall that was home to the keyboard.

The keyboard found a new home, downstairs... where there's actually room for it.

Oh, and the bed, you were waiting for this... the headboard was a long process... because... the coral fabric is -get this- removable! My poor hubby suffers from allergies, and he was coming up with all sorts of ways to stretch it across and yet make it removable... it was so complicating!! So I sewed it to fit (front and back) and we added snaps to the backs of the buttons and wa-la! Removable!

Master Mess Makeover- BEFORES!

No, this isn't embarrassing. Really. Ok, maybe it is. Our master bedroom is the drop zone, laundry hiding place, mail drop, and must-hide-everything-guest-are-coming spot.

It does drive me nuts. Mostly I have not come up with practical ways of handling the mess and this room has been a free-for-all since we moved in. I was able to get my son's nursery pretty much set up in the month before he came, but all other accomplished projects have been done very slowly in the 2 years since and the master bedroom has not ever been tackled. 

But with another baby on the way and lots of future hours in this room with it becoming the command center again, I really need to get things happening! 

We did move downstairs to cooler temperatures for the summer so this room was free to get cleaned as I pleased. It took awhile but with guests coming and going I was encouraged to get 'er done!

So stare and comment away because the after pictures are coming!!!

Quote Art

FYI, these are pictures mixed and matched showing different steps of different projects. I'm not very good at doing step by step pictures of one whole project.... 

1. Canvas - Pick out your size of canvas. I have gotten 12x12s and 16x20 two packs at hobby lobby- the cheapest brand because I wasn't using regular paints or making a painting.

(I also picked up paint markers/pens for doing the letters while I was here)

2. Paint - I picked up a sample 2 oz at Lowes of the color of my choice. (BM-Palladian Blue) This was more then enough to cover 4 canvases. Or just use some leftover paints depending on who you are doing it for or which room it is going in.

3. Verse, Quote, etc. - originally for our room I was going to do a hymn but I couldn't decide- It was a toss-up of either the first verse of Be Thou My Vision or Lamentations 3- seemed appropriate for over the bed as a reminder as you go to bed or get up in the morning. For other projects, just cute little quotes I spotted while wandering on pinterest. 

4. Fonts - This may not be difficult for the average person but it was for me. I love cursive but I wanted something legible for anybody reading it. I printed off only one paper (two words) at a time until I got the size right. Microsoft Word was mad at me. :)

5. Wiggle room - I laid out the papers when I got to the right size and on my 16x20s I realized that the way I had them lined up was leaving some empty spots. So then it was back to Pinterest to find a way to fill them in. 

     Lace (clearance at the fabric store!) and Paint. I used double stick tape to hold the lace onto the back of the canvas. I was just going to sponge a lighter layer of blue onto the lace but the lace and sponge kept sticking to each other and the lace didn't stay in place. Spray paint to the rescue! I had white gloss laying around so I sprayed a light dusting of that onto the lace and then immediately pulled the lace off the canvas so it wouldn't stick.

6. Prep - Now your canvas is dry and you have your verse, quote, hymn picked out in your font of choice. 

I used rubber bands to line up where my words would go. For example my 12x12 was split for 3 lines, so my 1st line 3 inches down and then my 2nd line was 4 inches down from that line and then the 3 line was down 4 inches from that- leaving an inch of space at the bottom for the "tails" on the the y and g. Measure and adjust accordingly for what you need. 

7. Tools of the trade - Carbon paper (pick up at any office store), regular pen and your printed off quote. I used the rubber band to help keep my layers of paper and carbon paper lined up in the right spot. Trace the letters and it "magically" transfers onto the canvas. 

8. Magic - Remove the papers and rubber bands. Look! It's magic!!! I mean carbon paper. Use your paint marker/pen to fill in the traced words. 

9. Waiting- Let it dry. Usually I set it out of reach of little ones and let it dry for several hours or overnight.




10. Hang it up and show it off!

No-bake cheesecake

I was craving cheesecake as any normal pregnant person should. And I had all the ingredients. in my house. at the same time. So I just needed an excuse and my excuse was our anniversary. 

His

2 packages of cream cheese (8oz each) - room temperature

1-2 tsp of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of sugar

1 (8 oz) cartoon of Cool Whip, Whipped Topping, etc.

Graham cracker crust 

Hers

With a kitchen aid mixer or hand mixer, whip together the first three ingredients. Scrape frequently to get it mixed well. 

Add about a third of the Cool Whip to the cream cheese mixture. Gently whip it until well mixed. 

Scoop half of that mixture into the graham cracker crust. Gently spread it evenly across the bottom of the crust. 

Add another third of the Cool Whip to the other half of the cream cheese/cool whip mixture. Gently whip this also, and then spread gently and evenly on the first layer. 

Top with remaining Cool Whip, spreading evenly across the 2 layer. I used the back of a spoon to make little swirls in the topping.  

Refrigerate. 

Our toppings- added right before serving- were strawberries for me and chocolate peanut butter sauce for him. 

Chocolate peanut butter sauce was just chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter and sugar melted together and mixed together. 

~You don't have to do this many steps or layer it this way, but I wanted to try it and well, my son was napping too~

Eat it up and Enjoy!!!

Musical Dressers - the makeover!

I wish I had a good "before" picture but sadly I had it all apart before I remembered! I know I'm not the only one with this problem so I snapped a couple before I got some help lugging it out to the garage for a fresh coat of white paint...

 Smudges and weird markings from the handles- yuck!

 Crusty and worn handles- yuck!

Can't really see them but there are pink marker marks and dings in the paint- yuck!

Notice a theme??? 

My sister helped me get them painted yesterday so that's done! Yay!! Here's the fresh coat! 

weird smudges and markings gone!

Dings and markings gone!

Oh, and musical dressers you ask? Because it went from this hairy spot in the master bedroom to my son's room and his changing table/dresser is moving into the next baby's room. :) 

And this is my only "Before" picture. eek. 

The handles were definitely the most difficult part of this makeover. Multiple coats of Satin brown spray paint... the handles moving, getting stuck, puddling, etc. UGH! But we finally got to the home stretch after I moved them inside for the last two touch-up sprayings in the extra bedroom. (They dry so much quicker when the humidity isn't 95% and the temperature isn't 95°!)

It just looks so much better! I'm sold!

bookshelf - new look!

I would have never thought to do this, even though I buy my old books solely based on the cover and/or binding, I had never thought to turn them facing out- Thank you BHG for posting this picture!!!

I need to go shopping in my old guest room for more accessories. But the books are out and showing their stuff!